The Devil Made Me Do It...

Reflection on the Gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent (C)

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil."  

(Luke 4.1-13)

Folks of a certain age (namely my own) will recognize the title of today's post as an oft-used, comical expression of an age old human sin - the denial of responsibility for sinful actions. Today, we use different terms, not so comical:

"She is a victim of a dysfunctional family."

"He can't help it, it's because of his sex/food/drug/booze/addiction."

"It's in my DNA..."

Now, I'm not for a minute suggesting that people can control their addictions, or that genetics and environment don't have a huge impact on personality. What I am saying is that our society is trapped in determinism, and essentially denies one of God's greatest gifts to us... free will.  Like Jesus, if we truly allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we can avoid the temptation of the three mega-temptations referred to in Luke's Gospel.

What exactly are these temptations that Luke describes in his gospel? Are they just about Jesus? Consider each one carefully as they might appear in your own life...

1.  "The devil said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.'"  Luke 4.3
FOR JESUS: The first of the temptations for Jesus is to use his divinity to alter reality for his personal satisfaction. Tempting indeed - fulfilling a basic need to eat! But remember, the Spirit led him into the wilderness. Jesus, obedient to the call, would not- could not- be distracted from his mission, even though he could have taken an easier path.

FOR US: This temptation is not about desires of the flesh as much as it is the temptation to be distracted. And most of the time we choose our distractions. I choose to watch TV rather than pray or do service work, because, hey, I need a break, I work hard etc. etc. etc. When Jesus says we do not live by bread alone, he is referring to the fact that he ( and we) are here for something bigger. And it is not about us.

2. " The devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world... " Luke 4.5-7
FOR JESUS: Here, the temptation is power, and for Jesus, wouldn't it make his mission so easy if he was on top of the heap. Again, what a temptation! Once Jesus is out of the desert, he would encounter so many followers hoping he would be the Messiah to rid them of the Romans and establish the glory that was Israel. From there, he could rule the world! 
But that was not why he was sent. In fact, it is in Luke's Gospel that we read of the birth of the entirely different King, born in a stable. And he would die completely powerless on the cross. Yet, in that weakness was his glory! No matter what, he would remain obedient to the will of the Father, and not pay homage to the devil of earthly power.

FOR US: It's not hard for us to see how power corrupts the rich, the famous and the political. But do we reflect on our own power? Put another way, think about the gifts that we have been given by God. Are there times when we have used our position in life to keep others down, or to simply ignore them? Still another temptation is to be envious of those in authority, or blaming them for all our woes. The temptation to fall in love with power pull us away from our call to be disciples, and to serve as Jesus did.

3. "...If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his Angels concerning you, to protect you..."  Luke 4.9-10
FOR JESUS: The last of the temptations is clearly the most difficult. Here we have the devil quoting Scripture to make the case for Jesus to entirely put his trust in God- surely this is part of his mission? But here's the problem- there is a temptation to put his relationship with his Father on his terms. This is a temptation of presumption and control. During his mission and ministry, Jesus will go and pray to the Father constantly. His prayer life is summed up in the Garden of Gethsemane- " Not my will, but yours."

FOR US: Probably the hardest lesson for us to learn as a disciple ( especially for us who are teachers) is this : we are not in control. If we learn this lesson well, our spiritual lives, and our life in prayer, will deepen and grow. Ask yourself- is my prayer life a series of distress calls and wish lists? Do I have an image of God as Santa Claus? Certainly the Church reminds us that prayers of petition are important, and Jesus himself says to "knock and the door will be opened." But which door? Do we get angry when God "doesn't answer our prayers"? Think about the structure of the Eucharist,  which in itself means thanksgiving.  There are prayers of petition, but they do not presume control of the will of the Father.

Three temptations at the core of our spiritual life. Follow Jesus, and your journey through the Lenten season will be abundant in his grace.

For this week...
Spend some time in evening prayer reflecting on how you may have been tempted by distraction, power and control. Invite the Lord to help you. Make a pledge to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in your parish this Lent.